Tuesday 13 July 2010

We love to design... "There's no such thing as a free lunch"

"There's no such thing as a free lunch" so the saying goes. According to Wikipedia, this well-known saying means that "things that appear to be free are always paid for in some way".

Well, when it comes to free design, never was a truer word spoken. 

However, you've got to consider: "If design is free or cheap, something's gotta give?!"

We regularly speak to people who are doing their 'design' in Word, are getting their mate's brothers great-aunt to 'knock it out' or have been offered free design 'in with the print price'....

I understand that budgets are tight at the moment, that it's tempting to cut corners but how will you pay in the long run?

Well in my opinion, through lower (if no) brand awareness, through not being taken seriously by clients and competitors, through lower sales, ultimately through failure to get your business off the ground!

Significant research by The Design Council backs up my opinion, showing that businesses that invest in design show higher and faster growth and are less likely to compete on price than those that do not.

We've recently been working with a lovely chap called Mark Woodward of Green Directions. Mark has a fantastic business - a virtually self-sufficient conference, meeting and training centre based in the Peak District National Park.

Mark is extremely passionate about his business and has a strong ethical approach. When he launched his business, he got a website through BT. They also offered to produce his company logo for free within the package.

When Mark approached us, we asked him whether BT had taken any steps to understand his business, whether any time had been spent getting to the bottom of what he wanted for his business and how he would take it forward and whether it was a professional designer producing the logo. The answer was, of course, 'no'.

So, with no further ado, please enjoy looking through the range of branded designs we produced for Green Directions, from an original and eye-catching logo identity through to double-sided stationery and recycled brochures and leaflets. 

I'm sure you'll agree that investing in design makes all the difference!


 





If you, or you know anyone, who would like a free marketing consultation with me aimed at identifying how you can improve your identity and business materials, please shout up. It's what we're good at! 

Talk soon,

Sarah